Venice film ‘Primetime’ probes line between news and showbiz

WEB DESK: Venice Film Festival contender “Primetime” explores the blurred boundary between journalism and entertainment, its creators said on Saturday, drawing inspiration from the television world of NBC’s “To Catch a Predator”.

Robert Pattinson stars in the film, which is inspired by US presenter Chris Hansen’s years hosting the investigative series that confronted suspected paedophiles using decoys, hidden cameras and televised sting operations.

Director Lance Oppenheim said he was fascinated by the way the programme mixed real danger with carefully constructed scenarios, where actors pretended to be children to lure male predators into a TV ambush.

“They collided with an extremely real, extremely dangerous situation,” he told a news conference.

“The show itself is stranger than fiction,” said Oppenheim, making his narrative feature debut after years as a documentary filmmaker.

Acting challenges for Pattinson

The film shows Hansen’s ego-fuelled rise within NBC, while his own personal life appears to fall apart as he himself falls into the cross-hairs of a tabloid journalist.

Hansen, who has only seen the trailer, has publicly criticised the film, calling it “totally made up”. Pattinson struck a conciliatory tone when asked about the remarks.

“Obviously I hope he likes the movie,” he said.

While stressing that he had not set out to make a film about Hansen himself, Pattinson said the television host had inspired everyone involved.

“I just think there was something about the show that was very groundbreaking, kind of breaking the rules of television.”

Pattinson is also a producer on the project and said he had not originally expected to star in the film, but as the research deepened, he found himself increasingly drawn to the lead role.

The actor described mastering Hansen’s accent and mannerisms as among the most demanding challenges of his career, crediting Oppenheim with spending years discussing every aspect of the character with him.

The film also marks the screen acting debut of Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, whom Pattinson praised for her ease on set and skill at improvisation.

“She was just so relaxed, and I was so impressed,” he said.

“Primetime” is one of four major films starring Pattinson being released this year, including the summer blockbuster “The Odyssey” and “Dune: Part Three”, which comes out later this year.

He said he found it invigorating to juggle so many projects but acknowledged it wasn’t always easy, joking that traces of Hansen’s distinctive voice lingered when he started work on “The Odyssey”.

“I definitely can hear a little Chris Hansen in ‘The Odyssey’ when I watch it,” he said. “Because (filming) literally started a few hours later.”

“Primetime” is one of 21 movies competing for Venice’s Golden Lion award, which will be presented on September 12.